A gaming system includes at least one input device adapted to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance, an input indicative of a wager drawn on the credit balance for a wagering game, and a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance. In response to a wager input, a wagering game is initiated that includes the spinning and stopping of a set of bonus reels through a plurality of bonus spins populating a bonus array with bonus symbols. The bonus reels comprise a combination of symbols reducing display processing requirements and improve mapping random numbers to displayed symbols for display during bonus spins having reduced durations. When completed, an award is determined based according to values associated with less than all of the bonus symbols displayed in a bonus outcome array.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A gaming system comprising: a gaming machine including an electronic display device, the electronic display device configured to display a primary array of primary symbol positions and a secondary array of secondary symbol positions, the primary array being distinct from the secondary array, the primary symbol positions being associated with the secondary symbol positions; and game-logic circuitry configured to perform the operations of: spinning and stopping symbol-bearing reels through one or more spins; populating at least one of the primary positions of the primary array with a value-bearing symbol from the stopped reels, the value-bearing symbol bearing a value; populating at least one of the secondary positions of the secondary array with a modifier symbol, the modifier symbol being associated with a modifier; in response to the one of the primary positions being associated with the one of the secondary positions, modifying the value of the value-bearing symbol by the modifier; and providing an award including the modified value.
2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the spinning and stopping operation is in response to a trigger event in a base game of a casino wagering game.
3. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of populating at least one of the primary positions includes populating a plurality of the primary positions of the primary array with respective value-bearing symbols from the stopped reels, each value-bearing symbol bearing a respective value; and wherein the modifying operation includes modifying, by the modifier, the respective value of each value-bearing symbol that is in any of the primary positions associated with the one of the secondary positions.
4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of populating at least one of the primary positions includes populating a plurality of the primary positions of the primary array with respective value-bearing symbols from the stopped reels, each value-bearing symbol bearing a respective value; wherein the operation of populating at least of the secondary positions includes populating a plurality of the secondary positions of the secondary array with respective modifier symbols, each modifier symbol being associated with a respective modifier; and wherein the modifying operation includes modifying the respective value of each value-bearing symbol by the respective modifier of each modifier symbol that is in a secondary position associated with the primary position of the value-bearing symbol.
5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein each spin decrements a spin counter from an initial value, and wherein a reset event occurring during the spins resets the spin counter to the initial value.
6. The gaming system of claim 5 , wherein the reset event is a new occurrence of the value-bearing symbol in the primary array.
7. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein each primary symbol position is associated with a respective one of the symbol-bearing reels.
8. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the value-bearing symbol is held in place through the one or more spins.
9. The gaming system of claim 1 , further including the operation of spinning and stopping a secondary reel that bears the modifier symbol.
10. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the primary positions are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, and wherein each of the secondary symbol positions is associated with a respective one of the rows.
11. A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including an electronic display device and game-logic circuitry, the method comprising the operations of: displaying, on the electronic display device, a primary array of primary symbol positions and a secondary array of secondary symbol positions, the primary array being distinct from the secondary array, the primary symbol positions being associated with the secondary symbol positions, spinning and stopping symbol-bearing reels through one or more spins; populating at least one of the primary positions of the primary array with a value-bearing symbol from the stopped reels, the value-bearing symbol bearing a value; populating at least one of the secondary positions of the secondary array with a modifier symbol, the modifier symbol being associated with a modifier; in response to the one of the primary positions being associated with the one of the secondary positions, modifying, by the game-logic circuitry, the value of the value-bearing symbol by the modifier; and providing, by the game-logic circuitry, an award including the modified value.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the operation of populating at least one of the primary positions includes populating a plurality of the primary positions of the primary array with respective value-bearing symbols from the stopped reels, each value-bearing symbol bearing a respective value; and wherein the modifying operation includes modifying, by the modifier, the respective value of each value-bearing symbol that is in any of the primary positions associated with the one of the secondary positions.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the operation of populating at least one of the primary positions includes populating a plurality of the primary positions of the primary array with respective value-bearing symbols from the stopped reels, each value-bearing symbol bearing a respective value; wherein the operation of populating at least of the secondary positions includes populating a plurality of the secondary positions of the secondary array with respective modifier symbols, each modifier symbol being associated with a respective modifier; and wherein the modifying operation includes modifying the respective value of each value-bearing symbol by the respective modifier of each modifier symbol that is in a secondary position associated with the primary position of the value-bearing symbol.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein each spin decrements a spin counter from an initial value, and wherein a reset event occurring during the spins resets the spin counter to the initial value, the reset event being a new occurrence of the value-bearing symbol in the primary array.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the value-bearing symbol is held in place through the one or more spins.
16. The method of claim 11 , further including the operation of spinning and stopping a secondary reel that bears the modifier symbol.
17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the primary positions are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, and wherein each of the secondary symbol positions is associated with a respective one of the rows.
18. A method of operating a gaming system, the gaming system including an electronic display device and game-logic circuitry, the method comprising the operations of: displaying, on the electronic display device, a primary array of primary symbol positions and a secondary array of secondary symbol positions, the primary array being distinct from the secondary array, randomly generating a value-bearing symbol to populate at least one of the primary symbol positions of the primary array, the value-bearing symbol bearing a value; randomly generating a modifier symbol to populate at least one of the secondary symbol positions of the secondary array, the modifier symbol being associated with a modifier; modifying, by the game-logic circuitry, the value of the value-bearing symbol by the modifier; and providing, by the game-logic circuitry, an award including the modified value.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the primary positions of the primary array include first and second positions; wherein the operation of randomly generating a value-bearing symbol includes randomly generating first and second value-bearing symbols to populate the respective first and second positions, the first value-bearing symbol bearing a first value, the second value-bearing symbol bearing a second value; wherein the modifying operation includes modifying the first value, but not the second value, by the modifier; and wherein the providing operation includes providing an award including the second value and the modified first value.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the primary positions of the primary array include first and second primary positions, and the secondary positions of the secondary array include first and second secondary positions; wherein the operation of randomly generating a value-bearing symbol includes randomly generating first and second value-bearing symbols to populate the respective first and second primary positions, the first value-bearing symbol bearing a first value, the second value-bearing symbol bearing a second value; wherein the operation of randomly generating a modifier symbol includes randomly generating first and second modifier symbols to populate the respective first and second secondary positions, the first modifier symbol being associated with a first modifier, the second modifier symbol being associated with a second modifier; wherein the modifying operation includes modifying the first value, but not the second value, by the first modifier, and modifying the second value, but not the first value, by the second modifier; and wherein the providing operation includes providing an award including the first modified value and the second modified value.
21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the modifying operation is in response to the one of the primary positions being associated with the one of the secondary positions.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the primary positions are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, each of the secondary symbol positions being associated with a respective one of the rows.
23. The method of claim 18 , wherein the value is a credit amount, and the modifier is a multiplier.
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February 25, 2020
May 25, 2021
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